July 15-16 Sequoia National Park

We spent a couple of nights in Sequoia National Park (Dorst Creek Campground).  We basically just spent one day looking at the enormous trees and taking the Crystal Cave tour.  We all especially enjoyed the cave.



Inside a fire-damaged tree cavity.

The Crystal Cave.

July 11-13 Yosemite National Park

We arrived at Yosemite after a very long day's drive.  We took the scenic route down Highway 49 and saw several old gold mining towns.  We stayed the first night at the Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal.  It was a really nice place to stay, but we arrived so late, we really didn't get a chance to enjoy all the amenities, mainly the swimming pools and spas.  We ate dinner and did laundry well into the night.  That's about it.  The next morning, we drove into Yosemite Valley.  The crowds were not as bad as expected, and the famous monuments are so large, pictures don't really do them justice.



El Capitan

Next, we drove up into the high country through the middle of the park over Tioga Road to the Tuolumne Meadows.  All in all, we enjoyed this part of the park the most.  We loved all the granite slabs, trees growing in the fissures, and impressive views.  The meadows, however, were disappointing.  They are usually filled with color this time of year, but not this year.



Tree growing on the rock.

The kids love climbing on the rocks.

Half-Dome in the background.

Granite landscaping.

Lizard.

We camped that evening in a forest service campground that was adequate but absolutely filled with mosquitoes.  We're trying to be extra cautious with the mosquitoes, because Natalie, who attracts every mosquito for miles, ended up with a bad, bite-caused staph infection that spread all over her torso and thigh last year.  Anyway, we packed up in the morning and drove back into the park, stopping at Hetch Hetchy to have a look around the dam there.  The Hetch Hetchy resevoir is the drinking water source for much of the San Francisco Bay area.

On the dam.

Looking down from the dam.

After visiting Hetch Hetchy, we drove further south and went to the Glacier Point part of the park.  The views from up there were stunning.

A rare family photo with Half-Dome behind our heads.

We followed up our tour of Yosemite by visiting my cousin, Laura and her husband, Roman.  We had a very nice visit, and they treated us extremely well.  If you are ever in Oakhurst, California, check out their restaurant, Crab Cakes.  http://www.crabcakesrestaurant.com/

Laura's and Roman's dog, Vega

Andrew in their pool

Don't they have a nice pool?

Andrew has really become a great swimmer this trip.

Beautiful Natalie

July 9-10 Lassen Volcanic National Park

Most people we've met in California, who either live here or are visiting, know little to nothing about Lassen Volcanic National Park.  It really is a little gem.  Basically, it is a collection of peaks in yet another caldera (this seems to be a theme this trip) that contain a lot of geothermal activity, similar to Yellowstone.  We took a lovely little trail out to Bumpass Hell (great name!) to find some of these hotspots.  Mr. Bumpass visited the area about 100 years ago, hoping to make his fortune.  Unfortunately, he fell through the crust in this area and burned his leg in the boiling sulfuric acid, eventually losing the leg.

Lassen Peak

The boardwalk at Bumpass Hell.



A balanced rock at the trailhead to Bumpass Hell.



July 6-8 - Crater Lake

On our way out of Bend, we stopped off at Lava River Cave and hiked nearly two miles round-trip down a lava tube.  We rented lanterns (for warmth, as well as light) and traipsed down into the depths.  It was a great thing to do on a warm day, as it was about 40 degrees cooler in the tunnel than on the surface!  Amazing geography!  We neglected to bring our camera on the hike, so we only got a picture at the entrance when we were finished.

We landed in Crater Lake later in the day.  This was a first visit for all of us, and we were definitely impressed.  I have never seen bluer or clearer water.  Crater Lake holds the world record for the clearest lake.  There is a simple test they do by putting a black and white disc into the water and seeing how far down it remains visible.  A typical day at the lake, one can see down to ~100 feet.  Some days, one can see nearly 150 feet.  Furthermore, apparently the water is perfectly safe to drink.  I was too chicken to try this, however, because it has been ingrained in me from a young age that drinking water from lakes and streams is not safe.  (I had giardia when I was three.  It really stands out in my memory as an unpleasant experience.)

Crater Lake from the rim of the caldera.

Pumice Castle (in red).

The Pinnacles.
Apparently, these were formed when hot volcanic gases vented up through fumaroles and hardened
the surrounding earth.  The less durable stuff eroded away leaving these spires.

The kids climb on something every time they get out of the car.

A view of Wizard Island (a cinder cone) from the rim.

Today, we hiked down to the lake and caught a boat that took us out to Wizard Island for a three-hour tour.  (We fared better than Gilligan and company, though.)  We hiked up to the top of the island and viewed the crater of the cinder cone.  All in all, we hiked about four miles total with 1500 vertical feet in elevation each way.  The kids did really well.  Andrew hiked all of it, and Natalie made it to about 200 feet from the top of the cinder cone.  The trail back up to the truck was beautiful, hot, very dusty, and very mosquito ridden. The kids fell asleep in the truck almost immediately.

On the boat.

On Wizard Island.  I loved all the wildflowers.

Andrew made it to the top!

The view from the top of the island onto a lava flow.

 

Some sights on the boat.

The "Phantom Ship."

More sights from the boat.

We left Crater Lake later than intended.  We had camping reservations for Juanita Lake in northern California, but instead, we opted for a hotel in Klamath Falls, Oregon.  We were getting tired, very much in need of showers, hungry and hot.  (Heat is definitely going to be an issue for us on this trip!)  We ordered a pizza, the kids took a swim, and we are cool and comfortable.  Tomorrow, we drive to Lassen Volcanic National Park for a couple more nights of camping.

July 5 - Newberry National Volcanic Monument

Today we spent some more time exploring Newberry Monument.  First, we went to the Lava Caste Forest.  This is a lava flow filled with castes where trees used to be leaving behind either horizontal tunnels where trees were knocked down or vertical holes for the trunks.  We took a one mile trail through the forest.  It was really quite interesting.



One of the vertical tree castes.



We really liked these twisty stumps and logs everywhere.



Some of the tunnels in the lava.

Later on, we went to the rim of the Newberry Caldera.  From up there, we could see panoramic views that included Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, The Sisters, Mt. Bachelor, and even (very faintly) Mt. Shasta.



Sitting on the rim of the caldera with some of the Cascades in the background.

Lakes Pauline and East next to an obsidian lava flow in the caldera.
It amazes me how little vegetation grows on these lava flows after thousands of years.

Next up - Crater Lake.  We'll probably be out of internet range for awhile.  We'll also be low on water for awhile.  I received an email from the National Park Service about our stay at Crater Lake.  Due to severe water shortages, they are closing the showers and laundry facilities within the park.  This is not ideal for us, but so it goes.  I received a similar email about our pending stay in Sequoia National Park.  It's interesting, because there seems to be no attempt whatsoever in Oregon outside of the National Parks to conserve water.  We are seeing municipal sprinklers everywhere.

July 4 - Mt. Bachelor and Lava Butte

We have three days here in Redmond, Oregon, and we're busy exploring the mountains and geographical features of the area.  We drove to Mt. Bachelor first and rode the lift up to have a look around and grab some lunch.  It is really beautiful up there.  Today was opening day of the summer season, and there seem to be some issues with the food service.  It took a really long time, and the food was quite cold (pizza) by the time we got it.  There was a frisbee golf course on top of the mountain.  We spent some time watching others play.  We were quite surprised at the lack of people up there overall.

Mt. Bachelor